Should I butcher pigs early?

[Bigdawg90]

I got 2 feeder pigs in early November at 6 weeks old. They’re duroc/Berkshire crosses mainly. They were the last of the litter and one is a runt. We did ivermectin and did a fecal sample. No worms, but she’s well under weight.

Ones measuring out to be about 150-175, but the runt is maybe 115-125. The picture is from about 2 weeks ago.

We wanted the feeder pigs to learn if we want pigs, feeding, watering and everything.

I need these things gone now to repair what they’ve destroyed and improve our laying hens area.

Would it be too early to butcher them, we got them for $20 a piece at 6 weeks old and have spent about $600-$700 total on feed for the both of them. I figure we can get hams and pork chops (albeit small ones) and then sausage the rest. We usually go through 3-5lbs of sausage a week with my boy.

We plan on building a permanent space for pigs on our land this summer. We loved having them but they need their own space. They’re horrible roommates with ducks and chickens. Lol

What say the wiser people? Is butchering early worth it. Would I get any good meat? Not gonna lie, they’ve cost me a ton in the things they’ve destroyed. All my chicken waterers and feeders were recked, dog house chewed through, fence line dug up and ripped down.

 

[2busy]

Your call. I've butchered some that size. Pork chops will be small but you can cut them thicker and butterfly them.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Duroc and Berkshire.... hmm. They don't look like that IMO.

What are you feeding and how much? Unless its a poor feed for growth, they should be over 200# live weight easily.

If you have a grinder, debone the small one and make sausage from all of it. That would be cheapest option.

The other would make a couple small hams but the pork chops will be small but will be fine for eating. The rest could be ground for sausage. Its possible to do this yourself as well.

 

[swampratt]

If I am done feeding some farm animal I care less what size it is.
Stop feeding food for 2 days before butchering and only give them water .
Intestines are much cleaner if you use that for sausage making.

 

[2busy]

If you were closer you could do it here and use my walk in to hang and process the next day. I've done 7 in the last few months. Hand meat saw a couple knives, grinder and seasoning for several different sausages and casings is all you need and vacuum bags.

 

[Bigdawg90]

We were told they were duroc-Berkshire crosses mainly. The lady was honest when she said she accidentally bought a pregnant sow and got an unexpected litter. These were the last two of the litter and, again, she was honest that they were the smallest.

They free feed. We started with 16% grower then moved to 15% slopper through A&M.

Sounds good. I’ll start clearing out my freezer. Everything I’ve read is for market. We were raising these just as test pigs. My wife thought they’d be disgusting, but they won her over. She’s excited to get a breeding pair.

 

[2busy]

We were told they were duroc-Berkshire crosses mainly. The lady was honest when she said she accidentally bought a pregnant sow and got an unexpected litter. These were the last two of the litter and, again, she was honest that they were the smallest.

They free feed. We started with 16% grower then moved to 15% slopper through A&M.

Sounds good. I’ll start clearing out my freezer. Everything I’ve read is for market. We were raising these just as test pigs. My wife thought they’d be disgusting, but they won her over. She’s excited to get a breeding pair.

Load them up and bring them down and I'll show you how to maximize your meat. Yes it's a 300 mile round trip.

 

[2busy]

We were told they were duroc-Berkshire crosses mainly. The lady was honest when she said she accidentally bought a pregnant sow and got an unexpected litter. These were the last two of the litter and, again, she was honest that they were the smallest.

They free feed. We started with 16% grower then moved to 15% slopper through A&M.

Sounds good. I’ll start clearing out my freezer. Everything I’ve read is for market. We were raising these just as test pigs. My wife thought they’d be disgusting, but they won her over. She’s excited to get a breeding pair.

I've got a travel trailer for y'all to stay in if'n you want to stay the night. Fridge don't work but has toilet and shower. It has a queen bed. Would like for you to keep on your journey to self sufficient.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

Technically you can butcher a pig at any size. Hell people kill them as suckling piglets and cook ‘em whole. There’s no rules on when to butcher a pig. Especially if you’re doing it yourself.

That being said, to me yours do look pretty small and lean. They aren’t really “ready” but they’ll eat… when they’re small the processing goes faster and easier, so there’s that

I’m glad you and your wife enjoyed raising them! My wife and I had a similar experience a few years ago when we got our first feeder pigs. We were surprised how clean they are and how fun they are to raise. I like them to be 250-300lb range with some fat on em when we process

 

[Jeff Rasberry]

I

I got 2 feeder pigs in early November at 6 weeks old. They’re duroc/Berkshire crosses mainly. They were the last of the litter and one is a runt. We did ivermectin and did a fecal sample. No worms, but she’s well under weight.

Ones measuring out to be about 150-175, but the runt is maybe 115-125. The picture is from about 2 weeks ago.

We wanted the feeder pigs to learn if we want pigs, feeding, watering and everything.

I need these things gone now to repair what they’ve destroyed and improve our laying hens area.

Would it be too early to butcher them, we got them for $20 a piece at 6 weeks old and have spent about $600-$700 total on feed for the both of them. I figure we can get hams and pork chops (albeit small ones) and then sausage the rest. We usually go through 3-5lbs of sausage a week with my boy.

We plan on building a permanent space for pigs on our land this summer. We loved having them but they need their own space. They’re horrible roommates with ducks and chickens. Lol

What say the wiser people? Is butchering early worth it. Would I get any good meat? Not gonna lie, they’ve cost me a ton in the things they’ve destroyed. All my chicken waterers and feeders were recked, dog house chewed through, fence line dug up and ripped down.

I used to raise hogs usually butchered around 2-250 lbs